Premieres make up most of Writers' Theatre's upcoming season
Writers' Theatre announced its 2013-14 season comprised of mostly premieres, including the Glencoe theater's first musical since “A Minister's Wife” and its first production of a Henrik Ibsen play.
Writers' season opens with the Midwest premiere of “The Old Man and The Old Moon” (Sept. 3-Nov. 10, at Tudor Court), a play with music by PigPen Theatre Co., established in 2008 by Carnegie Mellon School of Drama undergraduates. The play centers on a man responsible for collecting spilled light to refill the leaking moon. When he leaves his post, he throws the world into chaos.
William Brown returns to direct Conor McPherson's “Port Authority” (Oct. 29, 2013-Feb. 16, 2014, Books on Vernon), a series of monologues in which three generations of Irishmen chronicle their interlocking lives. The company's production of Ibsen's “Hedda Gabler” (Jan. 7-March 16, 2014, Tudor Court) reunites director Kimberly Senior and Kate Fry, who collaborated on last season's “The Letters” which closes Sunday at Books on Vernon. Fry plays Hedda, a savvy, manipulative woman stuck in an unsatisfying marriage whose scheming destroys the lives of friends and family.
Next up is the U.S. premiere of McPherson's adaptation of August Strindberg's “The Dance of Death” (April 1-July 20, 2014, Books on Vernon). A dark comedy about a failing marriage, “Dance” centers on a battle of wills between a military captain and his wife.
The season concludes with the world premiere of the musical, “Days Like Today” (May 6-July 13, 2014, Tudor Court), by Alan Schmuckler (music and lyrics) and Laura Eason (book). Director Mike Halberstam and music director Doug Peck, who collaborated on the recently extended “Sweet Charity,” reunite for this show inspired by Charles L. Mee's plays and centered on a woman who swears off love, just as a handsome stranger arrives on the scene.
Subscriptions are available at the box office, 325 Tudor Court, Glencoe, by phone at (847) 242-6000 or online at writerstheatre.org.